Australian Investigation
by dunnozzo
Summary: After a terrorist attack on a city in Australia kills a number of US Sailors, the NCIS team is sent 'down under' to assist the Australian Police with the investigation. A teeny bit of 'tiva' ensues.
1. Chapter 1

Petty Officer William McDonald was not a man prone to clubbing, partying and drinking, but on this rare occasion, he found himself doing all three. His ship; the USS Ronald Reagan had berthed in Brisbane, Australia, and for once he allowed himself to be convinced by his friends to head into the city and visit one of the many nightclubs that operated in the Valley – the heart of Brisbane's nightclub district.

Having never set foot on foreign soil before, he had gazed about in wonder at the welcoming, bustling city. The streets were wide, the people were friendly and the nightlife was fantastic. As the night wore on, he concluded to himself and anyone within his drunken-proclaiming distance that as far as he was concerned, Australian women were the best looking girls in the world. His statement, along with his smart uniform which he still wore earned him several approving glances from the females in the near vicinity, and his face flushed with excitement and drunken happiness.

William McDonald had not been born into a happy family. His father was a cruel and abusive man; a drunk who beat his wife every night, a man who never had a kind word to say to his son and always left William with a black eye or worse for his regular attempts to protect his mother. But William possessed an inner strength that many looked over. He refused to let such an experience change his life. He swore to himself that he would never allow such evil to take his own soul. And so it was that he joined the United States Navy on his twenty-fourth birthday, three years after his mother had been killed in a car accident, two years after his father had run his own car into a ravine in a drunken accident.

As William looked around the crowded room, his eyes fell upon a brunette standing at the bar, trying desperately to be served by the bar-staff, but every time she tried to place an order, one of his fellow sailors drunkenly, unaware of her presence, pushed in front and rattled off another order for a dozen beers.

Estelle Batellin was a young girl of Italian descent who had lived in Brisbane all her life. She had studied hard at school and had been rewarded with a medical degree that she was just a few short months shy of completing. After the completion of a particularly difficult exam, she had decided to go out with friends to celebrate.

She was just about to give up on her attempt to buy a drink when a quiet, and rather handsome US Sailor presented himself alongside her, and in a loud voice, hailed one of the bartenders and said, "Ma'am, I believe this woman has been waiting some time to get herself a drink." The harried bartender gave Estelle an apologetic smile, quickly took her order and within seconds, Estelle was finally able to soothe her thirst with a little sip of the Corona she'd ordered.

Turning to the sailor, she had given him a warm smile that lit up her beautiful features, and opened her mouth to thank him.

At that precise moment, the car bomb outside detonated.

It wasn't Hollywood – it wasn't an ever-growing fireball but rather a massive orange flash and then a wave of shrapnel which pierced through every nightclub in a block radius, cutting through partygoers like a scythe. People merely shredded into piles of bloodied clothing and unrecognizable lumps of flesh. And then there was silence, for a few seconds at least. Then the screaming started. Shortly after the sirens were heard over the hellish scene but they would serve as little comfort to those who already lay in the wreckage, dead or dying. Even to the living; trapped in the rubble, the sirens would offer little hope of rescue as emergency crews were simply overwhelmed. Around Brisbane City five separate car bombs had detonated, killing hundreds and wounding scores more.

Terrorism had finally come to Australia and with it, the innocence of the quiet city of Brisbane had disappeared in a cloud of growing smoke and debris.

* * *

Special Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo was not a man unfamiliar with the sound of his work cellphone ringing at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon. Nor was he unfamiliar with the tired NCIS despatcher on the other end of the line. But the news he received was so unexpected that it took him five minutes to fully comprehend the situation.

A terrorist attack in an east-coast city of Australia had killed hundreds of civilians, possibly thousands, and among them were a large number of US Navy personnel from the USS. Ronald Reagan. One hundred and sixty-eight sailors and officers were unaccounted for, but personnel lists were still being compiled and he expected the figure to either rise or lower as the counts became more accurate and the roll-taking was started.

NCIS had, as an agency with no jurisdiction inside Australian borders, offered any assistance required, including the option of sending an investigative team over along with experts in victim identification and bomb data technicians. And the Australian Government had, unlike every other government in similar situations, accepted the offer unconditionally and in record time. DiNozzo didn't know and wasn't willing to guess as to whether the Aussies simply hated red tape like he did, or whether they were in desperate need of assistance, it could have been both, either or neither. All that he knew was that in three hours from now, he and the entire team; Abby included would be on a Qantas Airways flight to Brisbane, Australia to see the scene firsthand.

* * *

_Author's Note: more to come..._


	2. Chapter 2

DiNozzo sighed softly, so as not to awake Mossad Officer Ziva David; the raven-haired beauty who sat in the seat next to him, her head nestled on his shoulder as she snored so softly he had to strain his ears just to hear her. He had to admit; he was rather impressed with Qantas Airways. Just hours after receiving the news of the attacks, Qantas had immediately offered anyone with relatives affected by the blasts free flights back to Australia and had flown a number of spare aircraft across to the United States and various other countries to assist not only in transporting these people back home, but also to aid in bringing foreign aid to the city of Brisbane.

Around him the mood was somber as people softly whispered among themselves; women and men occasionally wept as they contemplated the news that their loved ones had died or were grievously wounded in the cowardly attacks. DiNozzo's hatred for the terrorists grew with every passing moment as he glanced around, knowing that the Australians were known for their easy-going attitude and their kindness and acceptance towards strangers and people of other cultures. No one deserved to be the victim of these vicious attacks, but the Australians deserved this the least of anybody. By the time the heavily laden Boeing 747-400 commenced its descent towards Brisbane International Airport, DiNozzo was furious.

* * *

Few things escaped Leroy Jethro Gibbs' notice. Whether it was the fact that two of the female passengers behind him were undoubtedly not Australian, and merely using the disaster and Qantas' subsequent generosity as a means of acquiring a free ride to Australia, or the fact that for the last eight hours, his female agent's head had been nuzzled against the shoulder of his senior field agent, Gibbs noticed everything. But Gibbs was not concerned with either of these things at the present moment. Instead his head was bent over the documents in his hands as he read the initial police reports on the bombing for the eightieth time, and when he had finished with that, he reviewed the first photos of the crime scene for the hundredth time.

Beside him, Timothy McGee shifted in his sleep as he unconsciously readjusted his body in reply to the downward tilt of the aircraft's nose as the Qantas jet began its descent into Brisbane.

Gibbs lightly thunked his head against the window and stared out as the city of Brisbane came into view. The sun was just beginning to set on the city – a whole 15 hours had passed since the explosion and yet smoke still hung in the air – an ominous reminder of the deaths that had occurred in the early hours of the morning. Even from the altitude the jet flew over the city at, Gibbs could see the flashes of blue and red lights as Police, Fire and Ambulance crews continued their work into what would no doubt be a sleepless night for the dedicated Australian emergency services.

Were it not for the fact that a potential few hundred US sailors were dead or missing, and countless more Australians dead or injured, Gibbs might have worried about the close proximity of Ziva and DiNozzo, or the long strand of drool coming from McGee's mouth that threatened to drop on his pants. Instead Gibbs returned to his documents to re-read and re-read, determined that by the time he got on scene, he would have memorized every detail in the photographs, be able to call every attending policeman by his first name and registration number and be able to run the best damn investigation he had in his entire life. No terrorist would pull off an act such as this and escape; of that Leroy Jethro Gibbs was sure.

* * *

Federal Agent Roland Dunn strode rapidly through the airport, the pursed lips, dark sunglasses and his jacket billowing open to show the large Glock pistol and silver badge on his waist ensured he was given a wide berth by the passengers milling around in the International Airport. If the man himself wasn't intimidating enough, the six men following him, attired similarly down to the pistols and furious looks ensured that no one stayed in the way of the pissed-off Federal Agent for very long at all.

The Australian Fed arrived with his team at the passenger lounge just as Gibbs emerged from the aerobridge into the lounge himself. Without needing to look at the photo in the file he clutched in his hand, Dunn didn't pause, continuing to walk right up until he reached the silver-haired American Agent. Stopping before him, Dunn said, "Special Agent Gibbs?"

When Gibbs nodded in the affirmative, Dunn said, "My team will collect your luggage, you and your team are to accompany me now."

Gibbs had just enough time to shoot a look at DiNozzo, who returned a confused expression at the way the Australian Agent was speaking so tersely before Dunn began to stride away, heading for the exit. Even DiNozzo with his long legs had to struggle to keep up with Roland.

* * *

As Gibbs and his team arrived outside the airport, they were greeted with a convoy of anonymous black saloons, each one with flashing red and blue dashboard and grille lights. A veritable army of black-clad policemen and women stood around the cars, each one with one hand on a car door, ready to open it, and the other hand rested on the pistols on their belts.

Passers-by and other passengers stood at the far end of the airport, held back by uniformed police, regarding the scene with a mixture of fear of awe as the armored police all opened the car doors at once, waving the NCIS team inside the first two cars of the convoy.

Gibbs was the last to enter the car, and he stood back for a brief second to address Roland Dunn, "You had better fill me in on what's going on." Gibbs said, his tone clear that he wanted answers, and now.

Dunn acknowledged the man and lowered his sunglasses. For the first time Gibbs saw the man's eyes and was shocked at what he saw. Despite the man's strong presence and formidable posture, his eyes were bloodshot and watering. Black bags under his eyes betrayed a lack of sleep and the man's jaw no longer looked strongly set, but rather his face looked gaunt, as though in the past few hours he had aged decades.

"Agent Gibbs, I will explain everything, but right now I need you to get inside the car."

Gibbs stood still for a second, before nodding and easing himself into the saloon. Dunn closed the door and entered the front passenger seat of the lead vehicle. Not a second later, it pulled away, followed by Gibbs' car and the rest of the convoy as they all accelerated rapidly, lights flashing and sirens blaring, through the traffic and towards the city centre.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Anthony DiNozzo didn't actually mind the rather abrupt treatment they had received from the Federal Police. He didn't mind that the convoy didn't so much slow down for the roundabouts they encountered, as speed up through them. He didn't even mind that, in the heavy traffic, his car would occasionally follow Dunn's as it left the road and sped down the shoulder; mere inches stopped traffic and him; traveling in excess of 100 kilometers per hour.

The reason he didn't mind; in fact didn't even notice was because Ziva was almost sitting on his lap. The car floor beneath them had been filled with whichever items of their luggage didn't fit in their boot and, sitting in the middle between DiNozzo and Gibbs with nowhere to place her feet, Ziva had swung herself nearly sideways in the seat until her thighs were across Tony's knees.

Anthony DiNozzo was not an idiot, despite the façade he put on from time to time. He was well aware that his conversation in the elevator with the hook- Tara, about the _right woman_ was pretty much stopping just shy of mentioning Ziva's name outright. DiNozzo had had relationships with people he'd worked with before, in previous careers and all of these relationships ended with him moving jobs and states in an attempt to forget the past. He, more so than any other person on the team aside from Gibbs could understand why Rule 12 had a purpose. When the break-ups came, it was like World War III in the workplace, and Tony was not keen to leave NCIS.

Tony was also aware that for all her flirting, Ziva probably would just be surprised and embarrassed, if he were to express the feelings that he had begun to harbor for her since the first day they met. She was, after all, a Mossad assassin – used to playing men, sleeping with them until she got what they wanted, not getting involved like he had with Jeanne. His body tensed up. Jeanne. What an idiot he'd been. So aware that Ziva was not interested in him, he desperately sought the meaningful relationship he'd thought he'd have with her in someone else – and Jeanne fell neatly into his life at the wrong moment. Mentally he headslapped himself; Ziva was not interested in him, and pining for her would accomplish nothing.

* * *

Ziva felt her partner's body tense up. In fact, she had been acutely aware of every breath and movement her partner had made since they boarded their flight 15 hours ago. She had only lightly slept for the entire flight, enjoying the feeling of her partner's arm around her, supporting her and the gentle essence of his cologne tickling her nostrils. She was not a woman prone to fantasy, but for those brief hours, before they touched down in what would undoubtedly resemble a war zone she had allowed herself to dream about a life with Anthony DiNozzo.

Every part of her Mossad training screamed at her for harboring such thoughts about her partner, for foolishly thinking about a future that would never develop. But after so many years away from Israel, watching the romance in Tony's movies, the couples jogging on her early morning runs, Ziva began to have a sense that her life was not complete. Every day she spent with Tony, she felt like he was the missing piece but he was a playboy, a flirt who would say and do just about anything – as long as it didn't cross the invisible line that had seemed to develop between them. And that line she understood, was there because despite all the teasing and bickering and flirting, he was just not interested in her in the same way she was in him. Ziva had fallen in love and had then experienced another emotion that appeared so often in some of Tony's movies; heartbreak. There would never be a life with Anthony DiNozzo; no white picket fence with kids, as she believed the all-American dream went. But until they arrived at the scene, she would let herself continue to enjoy being near the man she loved who didn't love her back.

* * *

Roland Dunn almost smiled for the first time in sixty-eight hours as he watched Timothy McGee bounce comically around in the backseat as pieces of equipment reared up over him in a veritable tsunami of Pelican protective boxes and document folders. Beside McGee sat one of the NCIS forensic bomb analysis team; almost frozen solid in shock and fear as Dunn directed his driver to put the car down the shoulder for the third time, just narrowly missing a halted fuel tanker.

Dunn was a man who rarely went without smiling but for the past near-three days, he and his team had desperately been trying to warn the higher-ups in the Federal Police about a potential terrorist attack on the USS Ronald Reagan, or the sailors who served on her. Each time they were met with the same response; security was at an adequate level for the amount of hard intelligence received, and without further substantiation the higher-ranking members of the Federal Police were not willing to look foolish by worrying about a terrorist attack that they believed, would never eventuate.

Now the body count from the bombings had exceeded 500 and was continuing to rise as work crews set up flood lights and continued their tireless efforts into the night. Hospitals were crowded with bleeding victims coated in rubble and dust. Schools were closed and the streets were almost empty as people refused to step outside for fear of another attack.

Dunn didn't so much blame his superiors as he blamed himself for being unable to find the hard evidence he needed, unable to protect the men and women of Australia as he had sworn as part of his oath, and unable to shield the sailors of their allying country from the horrible attack. In time, investigations would reveal that the attack was planned to the smallest detail, and was known only to three people, all of whom took the utmost precautions to ensure the bombing would succeed. No investigative or intelligence department in the world would ever have been able to prevent the bombings. But for now, Roland blamed himself and each confirmed death was another blow to the troubled man.

As the convoy finally halted at the rear entrance to a luxurious hotel – now empty as travelers and tourists fled the country, Roland and his team exited the cars and set up a security perimeter before allowing the NCIS team to disembark. Taking the service elevator, the Australian police assisted the American team in carrying their luggage to a room on the second-highest floor of the building. DiNozzo simply raised his eyebrows as Dunn and two other members of the Australian Federal Police un-holstered their weapons and ensured the hotel room was clear before allowing anyone to enter. Holstering his weapon, Dunn placed a number of hotel keys down on the table in front of him and said to Gibbs, "I believe I owe you an explanation."

* * *

_Author's Note: I am indeed Australian - originally from Brisbane however currently down in Melbourne and bored to tears because I'm down here exclusively for work, and hence spend all my time studying rather than going out and enjoying life. Oh well, the things we do for a paycheck!_

_**As a secondary note: I really do enjoy reviews, or simply being added to the 'story alert' function of this website. It allows me to get a good idea of whether there is a good bit of interest in my story or not. Without these encouraging signs I, like many other authors on this site I'd guess, tend to let our stories fall by the wayside and not update nearly as often, if at all. If you want more, you need to keep me motivated!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Leroy Jethro Gibbs said nothing as he eased himself into a chair opposite the Federal Agent. Dinozzo and Ziva did likewise whilst in the background, McGee lost his grip on one of the many cases he was carrying and they all tumbled to the floor collectively. Red-faced and flushing with embarrassment, McGee all but fled the room, murmuring a few words about setting up a network with Abby back home as he retreated into one of the bedrooms in the hotel room.

When the American agents' eyes returned to Dunn, he sighed and started. "Three days ago our intelligence indicated that an attack on the USS Ronald Reagan or the sailors aboard her was more than likely. As you'd be aware by now, the Captain of the Reagan was briefed on the situation, but due to a lack of primary evidence, the threat was determined to be relatively minor and he was briefed as such."

Gibbs interjected, his voice rising in anger at the Australian. "The threat doesn't seem so 'relatively minor' now does it, Federal Agent Dunn? In fact the bodies of our sailors and your countrymen that are piling up seem to suggest completely otherwise."

Dunn's eyes were unreadable behind his black sunglasses but Gibbs' statement rung true to the defeated Federal Agent. He was not a man for offering excuses or assigning blame, and accepted the brunt of Gibbs' angry outburst solely and without denial. But he would deal with his own personal failure at a later time, because right now the rest of the Australian public, or what was left of it, he thought grimly to himself, were relying on him and the collective might of the Australian and American investigative teams to bring answers and apprehend those responsible. The thought that he could in no way have stopped the attacks never occurred to the broken investigator, who believed that had he have worked longer and harder, the situation would not have occurred.

Dunn replied to Gibbs' statement in a voice that to all but the most experienced investigator, showed a determined tone, but Gibbs heard the waver in his voice as he said, "I accept my fair share of the responsibility Agent Gibbs, and have no doubt that I will face the consequences of my inaction, but right now those same bodies are calling for answers that you and I need to provide."

Leaving his statement at that, Dunn moved on. Handing out files containing whatever intelligence had managed to be compiled in the aftermath of the attacks, he started his briefing.

"Around the same time as our intelligence communities received chatter from various terrorist networks about an attack on a US asset on Australian soil, the Israeli Mossad contacted us and warned that a terrorist attack would likely be carried out on the Ronald Reagan during the four days she would be berthed in Brisbane harbor. The Mossad indicated that the division behind the attack was a splinter cell formed by a secondary group to the 9/11 terrorists. Israeli intelligence revealed that an unknown number of individuals were placed in America as 'support' to the aircraft hijackers – there to assist in obtaining pilot training, providing finance and other responsibilities. On completion of the attacks, these members left America and were subsequently unaccounted for until five days ago when Mossad learned that they may have entered Australia. At this point we are working closely with the Mossad, and other international intelligence agencies to attempt to identify these individuals and I will continue to receive updated news on the results of this investigation."

Dunn took a breath and moved on, "The attacks themselves were well-researched and carried out simultaneously, perhaps through a remote detonator for all five bombs. The cars used in the attacks ranged from a brand new BMW to a 1998 Ferrari – luxury cars that could be parked directly outside the clubs for maximum effect. The explosives used in the attacks were an ammonium nitrate fuel oil composition, ANFO. Unfortunately, those responsible for the attacks used the full explosive grade variety of this and not the agriculturally derived version, which is a less efficient explosive. Nails, glass and other shrapnel items were placed with the explosives for maximum effect."

"At this point, any other information we have on the attacks can be found in the folders before you. We are 16 hours into our investigation and our evidence shows that this is still the early stages, but as of four hours ago all of our assets have been deployed here, and around the world and make no mistake; those responsible for this will be located and apprehended. No one carries out an attack on Australian soil without the full force of the Australian Federal Police and our fellow law enforcement and intelligence communities being brought to bear against them. You are here to assist us in this investigation, but I ask that you respect that we know our territory better than you, and have assets in play that you do not know about. I will give you one hour to get your gear sorted, and then my team and I will escort you to the scenes. Several of my team will remain here should you require any assistance."

Gibbs spoke up just as Dunn was about to leave the room, "I know a protective detail when I see one – why do we need security?"

Dunn looked at Gibbs and smiled crookedly, "Because we received intelligence from the same sources that warned of the original attack, that an attack would be carried out on any American team; investigative, medical or otherwise, that arrived here in response to the bombings. This attack, it appears, was only the beginning."

* * *

_Author's Note: __Dedicated to M E Wofford, Eternal Luna 21, Terrorkruemel, statler & DJ Eskimo - the first reviewers of this story who have provided me with some wonderful, motivational feedback!_


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs wasted little time on the minor details. Grabbing the pile of room keys he quickly tossed one to each of his team and another to the NCIS bomb expert. The man quickly disappeared into his own hotel room and Gibbs was left to conclude that the forensics man was not one for small talk and socializing.

With only an hour to clean up after the international flight and prepare themselves for the devastation of the bombing scenes, Gibbs was quickly left to himself as the rest of his team disappeared into their respective suites. As the door closed the silver-haired boss caught a glimpse of a number of Australian Federal Police escorting his team to their rooms where, he presumed, the Feds would go room by room and clear each suite before allowing any of his team to be left alone.

* * *

Tony showered and changed in record time for a man usually so concerned about his appearance and was halfway out the door of his suite with the intention of checking on Ziva when he noticed the armada-size collection of protective service federal agents in the hallway. Like the US Secret Service these men exuded efficiency and confidence that would have put even the most jittery witness at ease, but unlike their United States counterpart, the men and women were friendly too, and Tony chatted pleasantly with them for a few brief minutes before continuing his wander into Ziva's suite.

The shower was running and so Tony made himself comfortable on the couch in front of the TV. Flipping it on he quickly found a newscast on the terrorist attack. From what the background behind the reporter revealed, the devastation was immense. Burned car hulks littered the street and many buildings were unrecognizable blackened structures. The shower stopped but Tony didn't hear it; immersed in the news report and watching as investigators picked their way through the rubble at a scene he would be visiting shortly.

DiNozzo suddenly sensed he was being watched and turned around to see Ziva behind him, her eyes frozen on the screen also, her hair still wet from the shower, she was dressed in her usual cargo pants and top. The look in the Mossad assassin's eyes made him wonder how many times she had seen a similar picture. She silently came around the couch and sat next to Tony, her shoulder resting against his as he automatically put his arm around her. Surprisingly, she did not threaten him with death or bodily harm, but rather just leaned into his arm as though for support.

Confirming Tony's suspicions, Ziva sighed wearily and spoke, "No matter how many times you see it, you never quite get used to it. The destruction, the waste of life and the fear in the public that lives on for many weeks, months, even years."

Neither partner spoke again and just sat in silence alongside each other as they watched the news report the body count as reaching 522 people and climbing.

* * *

Dunn had had possibly the worst half-hour of his life. Immediately after leaving the NCIS team to settle in, he had attended an emergency conference called by his superiors, which largely consisted of them covering ass and largely assigning the blame squarely with the exhausted agent. The Federal Police Commissioner had sat in on the meeting and watched as the responsibility for the situation was placed entirely on Roland. Without saying a word, the Commissioner left the room before the conclusion of the assembly. That the respected head of the Federal Police had not even stuck around to hear Dunn voice his position de-motivated the man even further.

Racing back to pick up the American investigative team, Roland nearly had three separate accidents from fatigue alone, as he struggled not to fall asleep behind the wheel. Promising himself that he would get some sleep before midnight, he brought the car to a stop at the rear entrance where the rest of the convoy was still parked and radioed his men to bring the team down.

* * *

Gibbs was just about to leave his room to meet the rest of his team on their way down to the convoy when a young Federal Agent stepped into his way. They were alone in the corridor and Gibbs' eyes tightened as the agent reached into an attaché case at her side but he relaxed when the agent brought out a folder containing a sheath of papers. This folder was promptly passed to Gibbs who stared at the agent for a short time before asking, "What is this?"

"Just something I think you should see before you jump to your own conclusions about Roland." She said, almost defensively.

Without saying another word, Gibbs flipped through the pages in the folder, his eyes rapidly scanning as he picked up the desperation in the official reports written by the Federal Agent to his superiors requesting more agents be assigned to the threats against the Reagan, that the threats be considered more seriously and the alert levels should be changed to reflect this. The dates on the documents ranged from three days to 6 hours before the attacks.

Almost as if she needed to fill the silence, she spoke again, "He has barely slept since the threats came in, and in fact none of us have. Do not think that he didn't try to get the warning out – it just seemed no one higher up wanted to listen." Reaching out her hand, she took the folder back from Gibbs once he had finished reading the documents and hid it away in her attaché case again.

Gibbs was silent for the ride down to the ground floor and didn't speak for the car journey to the scene.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Getting out of the car was something DiNozzo would chalk up to one of the eeriest experiences of his life. The red and blue lights flashed on and off, pulses of light illuminating the darkness surrounding the first bombing scene. Flood lighting had been set up to cover most of the nightclub and surrounding buildings that this particular car bomb had targeted but there were still gaps of inky black darkness where rubble obscured the lights in certain areas. Ahead of him, he could make out Dunn getting out of his car, the black sunglasses still in place even though it was nighttime. Tony couldn't blame the man; the flood lighting made it brighter than daylight.

Since the NCIS team was taking a background role in the investigation, they remained behind the blue and white crime scene tape used by the Australian police services until Dunn waved them through to join him standing just at the edge of the crater where the bomb had detonated. A number of Australian police joined them where they stood and Dunn quickly introduced everyone, instructing his men to allow the NCIS team free reign through the crime scene and to assist them wherever required. McGee, Ziva and DiNozzo quickly dispersed into their usual crime scene roles and the anonymous bomb technician wandered off to do whatever it was that he did, Gibbs supposed. That left Gibbs standing with Dunn, both of them looking down into the crater at the pool of water that had formed from where the fire services had pumped it to extinguish the flames. Even as they watched, it receded as crews pumped the water out to examine the crater for potential clues.

Gibbs nodded to Dunn to walk back over to where they had parked their cars; it was almost too loud to hold a conversation over the din of people searching the rubble and machinery operating in the dim hope of finding more survivors. Gibbs wasn't much for small talk, and once they reached the cars he gruffly said, "I was wrong. I saw your reports about the risks surrounding the bombing. You did everything you could to prevent it. Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Dunn let a small sad smile play out over his face as he sighed, and removed his sunglasses; squinting as his bloodshot eyes were exposed to the bright floodlights. "With respect, Special Agent Gibbs, you do not appear to be a man who appreciates excuses in times such as these."

Gibbs almost made as if to Gibbs-slap the man before he quickly reconsidered. Even in his fatigue, Dunn was still alert enough to catch the move out of the corner of his eye and he regarded Gibbs with a confused smile, wondering what the American agent's bizarre semi-half-wave of his right arm meant. Instead, Gibbs positioned himself so he was leaning against the car alongside the Australian as they both stared out over the scene.

"So you take the rap and your managers who really are responsible get away with this?" Gibbs asked.

Dunn's semi-smile returned as he said, "What would you do?"

Gibbs retorted, "Hell, I don't know, retire, move to Mexico, spend the rest of my life staring out over a beach instead of this mess and let your superiors own up to their own responsibility."

Dunn turned to face him, "I've seen your file Gibbs, I know about your brief break from law enforcement and whilst I understand it, I'd never do it myself."

Gibbs' curiosity sparked, he asked the man simply, "Why?"

Dunn nodded towards DiNozzo who was sketching what remained of the nightclub. "I read Agent DiNozzo's file as well. Four years ago, I could have been his twin brother. Slightly immature when it suited me, chasing women all the time, I could joke and kid and put on a mask of indifference like nothing really hurt me. I had spent five years in Organized Crime, and then my team leader got fed up with the bureaucracy and quit with no warning. Suddenly I was team leader, in charge of a team that I'd worked alongside for five years."

Dunn continued, "I got used to the phrase, "That's not how the boss used to do it." I got used to feeling like a temporary replacement; trying to hold the team together and still keep our case-closure rate up until a 'real' boss came along. Whenever my team ran into a problem, they rang the old boss for advice instead of coming to me. You imagine what that's like Gibbs? Trying to hold a team together that doesn't respect you?"

Gibbs was silent for a long time, and then asked, "What happened?"

"I quit; requested a transfer to counter-terrorism and got it. The sudden retirement trick might have worked for you Gibbs, but I'll wager that your team went through hell for it. No, I won't quit, at least not until this investigation is through and by then I expect my team will be thoroughly briefed on my confidence in whoever I choose to replace me. Hell, some of them might even actually take the team leader jobs I've been recommending them for for the past two years. God knows they're all capable."

A long silence stretched between the two men. Gibbs' eyes never left DiNozzo as his senior field agent suddenly called out advice to McGee about a particular item of evidence he wanted photographed.

Dunn cleared his throat, embarrassed. "I'm sorry Gibbs, it wasn't my place to draw conjecture on what happened with your-"

Gibbs cut him off, "Don't apologize, it's a-"

"Sign of weakness," Dunn finished for him.

The two agents regarded each other with guarded smiles.

Dunn finally relented, "Gibbs, I'm gonna head back to the office, I'm expecting a briefing via phone from Mossad on any further information they've discovered."

Gibbs replied, "Dunn, after that, get some rest – you look like crap."

Dunn smiled and made as if to move away, and then abruptly Gibbs-slapped himself over the back of the head. Jethro blinked in surprise as the Australian agent turned around and smiled sheepishly, "I almost forgot." Dunn said.

The Aussie reached into the back seat of his car and pulled out three cardboard boxes, opening one to reveal two Sig Sauers, complete with two clips of ammunition each and holsters.

Gibbs looked up questioningly, "I thought we were only approved to work here as observers, I didn't think the Australian government had approved us to carry weapons."

"Technically, they haven't," Dunn grinned, "but we all know what happened the last time I listened to my superiors instead of my gut. Tell you what, if you get asked about it, just tell them I OK'd it. It's not like I can get into any more trouble around here at the moment."

Gibbs guffawed once, twice, as he watched the Federal Agent enter his car and drive slowly away from the crime scene towards his office and eventually, Gibbs hoped, some rest.

* * *

**A particular note of thanks goes out to all the readers who have reviewed this so far, sometimes multiple times. **Honest to god, it's a really rewarding experience to open my email and know that my story is being enjoyed by a few people out there. Particularly my fellow Australians, god knows I'll be returning to Brisbane in two months after having been away for it for eight months, so forgive any lapses in memory! And to all the readers from other parts of the globe - apparently I'm using some Australian terminologies - I'd love to hear what they are, because I re-read my story a few times and still couldn't pick up what might confuse any non-Aussies!


	7. Chapter 7

A brief note: first - I'm sorry to Statler - I didn't update in two's this time mate! Been struggling through a bit of writer's block at the moment. Secondly - yes, that writer's block has left me with a chapter I'm not altogether too happy with, so if you have any advice on how to clean this chapter up, or move on from here, let me know. But for god's sake don't expect sappiness or endless declarations of love - as people have noted, I don't write that. Thirdly, thankyou all so much for the reviews you've written in, it's been, and hopefully it will continue to be an absolute pleasure to write for you, and log in to my email to see these wonderful reviews. For more responses to reviews, see the end of this chapter:

**(NB: the response to some of the reviews may or may not contain hints of vague ideas about what may be in-store for the NCIS team)**

* * *

The NCIS team returned to their hotel, exhausted. After hour upon hour of sifting through debris, they'd finally discovered trace elements of C4 plastic explosive scattered throughout the widespread traces of ANFO. The finding of the C4 was a critical moment in the investigation, as each batch of the plastic explosive was tagged with certain chemical agents to allow identification and tracking of the movement and use of the dangerous goods. With luck, DiNozzo hoped that this would be one step in the right direction towards finding those responsible.

Tony had had a nice long hot shower and finally felt relaxed for the first time in twenty-four hours. As he stepped outside the shower, he realized he'd left the towels on the bed and, figuring he had the hotel suite to himself, thought nothing of walking out of the bathroom, naked as the day he was born. The one thing DiNozzo didn't count on however was coming face to face with Ziva who had been waiting for him; for quite some time from the look of it due to the impatient look on her face.

It took all of about half a second for her to realize that her partner was stark naked. She had to give him credit though – he didn't seem fazed by the situation. He just offered her a grin and said, "Mind handing me that towel?"

Grinning salaciously at him, she ran her gaze up and down his body, winked at him and rose slowly reaching out for the towel, which she offered to him. Rising up onto her tiptoes she whispered into his ear, "Is it cold in here, Tony?"

Chuckling to herself, she enjoyed watching the expression on his face change from confused to worried as he quickly wrapped the towel around himself before discreetly checking to see if she was right.

Re-establishing the DiNozzo cocky grin he secured the end of the towel so that it wouldn't fall down and sat down next to her. "So what brings you to my suite aside from a desire to see the "Big D"?"

Seeing Ziva grin and start to open her mouth to retort he hastily added, "Don't start on that."

Ziva replied, "They have the movie channel here, I would have thought the "Big D" would have already figured that out. I just wondered if you would let me watch a movie with you, I just need to put my feet down."

Tony automatically said, "Up."

Confused, Ziva stood up and gestured, "Where do you want me to sit?"

"No, I didn't mean get up Zee-vah," Tony said, exasperated by the Mossad officer's continual confusion of English idioms, "I meant the phrase is put you feet up."

"Oh," she said, sitting down next to him again, her thigh touching the bare skin of his own thigh where the towel had ridden up slightly. Both of them swallowed unconsciously at the unintentional seemingly intimate moment they were in, however neither moved away.

"Well?" Ziva asked, after a few moments of silence while they both tried to recollect their thoughts.

Tony had been about to teasingly accuse her of suddenly wanting to spend time around him after seeing him naked, but suddenly he saw the vulnerability in her eyes and he realized. After her sister Tali's death, and all the other bombings she had worked in Israel, this one had hit close to home and she likely just needed a mindless evening of movies and his stupid trivia to make the situation more normal. So Tony said, "You just want to spend more time around me after you've seen the "Big D" in larger than life form."

The normal banter had returned, and Ziva smiled again as Tony stood up and told her to put a movie on while he got dressed. Entering the lounge room he found Ziva sitting on the couch with the opening credits to the latest James Bond film rolling. Sitting down comfortably next to her he, as if by accident, once again put his arm around her but when she didn't move it, he left it there.

The two sat in silence as the last of the opening theme music died away until Tony finally said; "You know this is the first movie that doesn't have the gun barrel scene near the start of the movie? It's not a usual Bond film move, but I like it."

Ziva chuckled.

* * *

McGee barged into DiNozzo's hotel suite, saying, "Tony, wake up we need to meet up with Dunn who-" and that was as far as he got.

His eyes widened as they took in the scene before him. The TV was on mute; ads for movies flashing across the widescreen as the two top agents slept. Tony was sprawled rather comfortably along the full length of the couch. Ziva was half wedged between Tony and the back-rest of the couch, and half lying on his stomach, her legs entwined with his and her head resting underneath his chin.

Moments later Gibbs burst into the room saying, "Have either of you two seen Ziva, I can't find her-".

McGee tried to shrink into the background as he wondered what would come next.

* * *

_Author's Notes (continued)_

As I've said, thanks to all those who have reviewed.

In response to some; I must confess, I have written previous tales about the NCIS gang as Delta-6 alluded to. Unfortunately I decided I didn't like the direction they were headed in, and the fact I had no idea where they were ultimately going, and scrapped them. I have learnt from this, but ultimately still have no idea where this story is going. I write as the thoughts come into my head.

To **Lyn1410G**, thanks for the lovely review and PM. God knows as an Aussie it's sometimes hard to recognize that our lingo isn't universal, but as **james-louise** suggested, writing in a little Aussie lingo to confuse the NCIS team would be a pretty good idea - so my plea to **_all the Australian readers_** is to give me some suggestions for some dialogue!

**A Melody of Spring**, I'm pleased to see that not everyone wants to see sappiness from these two very strong characters. I can assure you that despite some of my hints in the story, it won't end with a thousand declarations of love and unicorns dancing in fields of sunflowers whilst all ends happily ever after. An ending which is more in line with a real NCIS episode is something I'll be aiming for.

**Sunshine Coast Local**: god knows it'd be rather nice to be recruited as a writer for NCIS. What I would give to be working alongside Cote de Pablo (reowr!) and Pauly Perette. Pleased to hear you like the story and thanks for the lovely review.

**M E Wofford:** I have no idea how you do it - you seem to review everyone's stories and yet you always seem to be ready to give me a lovely review the moment I update! Either you're magic, or you have a small team of elves working in your basement with a high speed internet connection. Either way, thanks very much for all the brilliant reviews!

**Sason:** I'm sorry. I'm currently living in Melbourne and have been for the last 8 months, and if this story doesn't get updated it's because some cursed Melbourne-driver has probably run me off the road. You people drive like you learned in bumper-cars! You people are insane! I'll be glad to escape back to Brisvegas in another two months! Still, it's better than Sydney where you can't even see the road because of all the riot fires started all over the place. I'm JOKING Sydney and Melbourne people - don't stab me.

**djEskimo**: many thanks for the continued support. If you have an Aussie phrase that you'd like me to throw in to confuse Tony, and especially Ziva, please let me know.

**Hudson911: **with regards to your suspicion. I hadn't really considered it until you mentioned it. Originally this was just written to humanize the victims a little more, and I would refer to it only briefly later as a tie-back to the beginning, but I'll re-think where that sub-story could go now.

**mtee1958:** crazily enough - I don't think saloon is actually an Aussie word. I should have used sedan which is a little more well known in the Australian language. I'm almost sure the term saloon (meaning sedan I THINK) comes from England, or maybe America - god knows.

**Delta-6:** always nice to be noticed! I'm sorry I never helped you further on with your story and left fan-fiction for a significant period of time so never even saw if it was posted. You'll have to PM me if you've written it because I've love to read it.

**Am I a Devil or an Angel:** the current attack isn't meant to rival the horrors of 9/11, as at the moment I've written the body count is 522 from memory. I don't really plan to eclipse a very real tragedy with a work of fiction, _but at the same time I won't rule out the body count rising or being substantially inflated due to another incident that may or may not occur, which may or may not affect the NCIS/Australian team for the worse. (that's an author's **hint** dear readers)_

_**Oh my god, at this rate my response to the reviews will be longer than the story. To all those I haven't replied to yet, I will attempt to do so in the next chapter!**_


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

Federal Agent Roland Dunn, curious as to why the American agents had not arrived downstairs, had taken the service elevator up to their floor and, following the pointed fingers of his protective detail team, entered DiNozzo's suite to find Gibbs staring down at a sleeping Tony and Ziva, with McGee cringing in the background, clearly expecting a shouting match.

"DiNozzo! David!" Gibbs yelled and the two sleeping beauties woke instantly. Realising the position they were in, they desperately tried to get as far away from each other as possible but it only succeeded in both of them rolling off the couch with Tony landing atop of Ziva in another intimate looking position.

Panic stricken, they both sprang apart as they launched to their feet and tried to find an explanation. "Boss I," Tony started.

"Gibbs, we were just," Ziva tried to explain at the same time.

"Following my instructions, Agent Gibbs." Roland calmly stepped into the chaos. "We discovered late last night that the hotel's copy of Officer David's room key could not be accounted for, and so we moved her into Agent DiNozzo's room for her own protection."

"For her protection, you put her into Tony's room?" McGee couldn't help himself, the slightly sarcastic question popped out of his mouth with no thought behind it.

Everyone in the room turned towards poor Timothy McGee. The threats of pain and violence coming from Tony and Ziva's eyes would have been enough, but never before had the unfortunate Timothy experienced two simultaneous Gibbs glares – one from Gibbs, for interrupting, and one from Dunn also. On their own, each stare was intimidating enough – but four combined was just about enough to put McGee into catatonic shock. He'd already had a bad morning after trapping himself in the closet, even though the door had no lock. He had had to be rescued by one of the Australian protective service team, and dreaded the thought of the story being let slip to his teammates.

"And they just happened to be sleeping on top of each other on your orders again, Federal Agent Dunn?" Gibbs growled out.

"I would anticipate, Agent Gibbs," Dunn replied, "that an investigator such as yourself would realize that a potential security breach like a room key disappearing might indicate that your secret location is no longer so. Since Agent DiNozzo and Officer David's bedrooms have floor to ceiling windows with exposure to a number of other high-rise buildings, one might think it prudent to advise them to stay away from the bedrooms. I can imagine they are trying to sleep as best they can on the only other comfortable thing in the hotel suite."

Gibbs stared at the Australian Federal Agent, his gaze searching for any indication that the man was being untruthful. Gibbs was certain that he was lying, but if he was, there was no sign of it and without a tell-tale flicker in the Australian's facial features, Gibbs' gut refused to churn like it usually did when he was being told lies. Gibbs kept the stare up for nearly a full minute until he finally backed down and left the room muttering something about getting a coffee.

McGee, as the door snapped shut behind Gibbs asked Dunn, "Why didn't you just move the bed into the lounge room and let Ziva sleep on the bed and Tony sleep on the couch?"

Dunn turned around and smiled, "Agent McGee, it is always a pleasure to hear your input on how common sense can come into our daily lives. Just this morning, I recall how common sense would have assisted an American agent who managed to trap himself in a closet with no locked door and how, rather than using common sense to free himself, he just wailed frantically until one of my men rescued him. I suppose in the same way that the couch sufficed, the wailing worked because _it got the job done."_

McGee, finally closing his mouth after it had dropped as his secret was revealed, left the room without another word.

Dunn turned around to Tony and Ziva who still stared, open-mouthed at the Federal Agent.

"You just lied to Gibbs…" Tony said disbelievingly.

"…and got away with it." Ziva finished.

"How?" the two asked simultaneously of the Aussie.

"I'll tell you," Dunn had lowered his voice to a whisper, and Tony and Ziva tilted their heads forward to hear him. After briefly debating with himself on the politics of attacking armed law enforcement officials from another country here as part of a diplomatic act, Dunn Gibbs-slapped the two and finished his sentence, "after you've gotten yourselves down to the car. I've been waiting 30 minutes for you drongos, we have a meeting to get to."

He swept out of the room leaving Tony and Ziva in astonishment.

After a few seconds, Ziva asked Tony, "What is a drongo?"

"I have absolutely no idea," was Tony's reply as he massaged the back of his head, whimpering.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

**Harmless1:** thanks for the kind words, I had had a few beers by the time I settled down to write the first chapter so it's always nice to hear that my drunken ramblings were apparently a very good explanation for the NCIS team going 'down under'.

Thanks also go to **god'srider, rupert-tiva, rosie (**a big g'day to Canada!), **DarkGrayWolf** and **Tash** for the reviews.

**M E Wofford** - you do a fantastic job without the elves anyway. But if I find a few I'll mail them via Fedex - don't worry, they'll get air holes, I've learnt from last time!

**Eternal Luna 21 **- thanks for the aussie lingo suggestions, I'll try to write a few in for the chapters to come - it's always best to hear which ones are the most confusing to our friends from other countries anyway, because it'll help to add to the confusion of poor Tony and Ziva.

**Milk Does the Body Good** - you certainly are hyper, but it's always nice to hear from a fellow Brisbanite, and I'm not sure where I wrote in something about a water feature because the story is set in the Valley. From memory I can only think of the water in the crater from the explosion, and that was residual water from the fire department spraying the scene to extinguish the fires. If I've unintentionally written in a water feature, just take that as poetic license.

**Harmless1:** hahahahaha, that's brilliant! I might actually try to work that one (or parts from it) into the story. God knows how I'll do it, but I do love a challenge.

**Diana_teo**: I'm glad you certainly decided to review! It's always lovely to hear from you guys, and it's really great to get new people reading the story and reviewing each chapter because I believe a story can always be improved, and advice is always welcomed.

**Kira-Hazel: **my condolences (for the fact you live in Melbourne :-P), but at least you get to see beautiful Brisbane every now and then.

**Hudson911**: glad to hear that my current writer's block didn't affect the last chapter too much, hope it wasn't too prevalent in this one either!

**Lyn1410G:** I always love your long reviews, even if you spend half of it obsessing over a naked Tony! My god, as a twenty-year old male writer just getting back into the fiction-writing game, I can't determine if I should be pleased or worried that my writing can sometimes have such an effect on females! Good luck with those riot fires though!


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

_Author's Note: for the non Aussies among us – drongo is a term often meant to mean 'idiot' or 'stupid' however more recent use of the word indicates it is more mild than the two other words, and often it is used in a humorous sense. Just as DiNozzo calls McGee a 'knucklehead', you'd likely find me calling my brother a 'drongo', or a 'turkey' if he'd locked his key in the house – just a gentle means of paying the individual out, but in a nice sense…did that make any sense to anyone?_

_The writer's block is also worsening. Of everything that I've written in the past three years, I'm most unhappy with this chapter._

* * *

DiNozzo, it seemed was running late. He'd barged out of his hotel suite finally, in time to discover that Gibbs, Ziva and McGee had already gone downstairs. Cursing, he'd waited for the elevator and run into the back alley to find all but one of the cars had gone already.

On the remaining car he saw Dunn perched on the bonnet, the end of his tie held between his teeth as the Australian played what sounded like a particularly challenging game of Tetris on his mobile phone. Glancing up and seeing DiNozzo he good-naturedly said, "About time!" and paused his game. Grabbing a number of folders from next to him, he hopped off the car and presented the documents to Tony with a flourish.

DiNozzo grabbed them and flicked through, realizing that they were update reports on what the investigative teams working through the night had discovered. Mostly it was lab-tech mumbo-jumbo but one page caught his attention, and he paused mid-stride as he re-read an officer's report;

"_Enquiries conducted with Westpac Bank have revealed video footage from an ATM located adjacent a bombing scene showing the offender of this particular bombing parking the Lamborghini before entering the nightclub. The sex, age, race or distinguishing features of the offender are not evident due the poor quality of the film. The footage depicts the offender leaving on foot after spending approximately 20 minutes inside the nightclub. The reporting officer respectfully suggests that enquiries are conducted with any surviving witnesses inside the nightclub with a view to obtaining a description of the offender, if possible."_

Sliding into the front passenger seat, Tony put the thick set of folders down on his knees as Dunn started the car and they began to move. As they pulled into the city traffic, Tony started fidgeting until Roland finally asked, "Need me to stop for a bathroom, Special Agent DiNozzo?"

DiNozzo laughed uncomfortably, "No, and it's Tony. I just wanted to know why you lied for us; me and Ziva."

"Tony, you know it's an investigator's instinct to make judgments about people based on the things they say and do. I do not make snap decisions about people, but after 24 hours I normally have a pretty good idea about them. I hope you won't mind if I speak of my impressions of you and your team."

Tony shook his head, no and gestured for the Australian to continue speaking.

"Your boss, Special Agent Gibbs seems to be a man of few words, and I'd be willing to bet, even fewer when it comes to praise. He's difficult to please and follows his own set of rules, which I would hazard a guess he's established from his own experience, some of which have been very tragic. He's got his own code of honor and despite the hard time he gives his team from time to time, he's fiercely proud and protective of them - you in particular Tony." Dunn said, sparing a glance at Tony as the car pulled up to a red light.

DiNozzo had to admit, the Australian had Gibbs just as well figured out as Tony had, except Tony had known Gibbs for 8 years to Dunn's 24 hours. He wasn't sure about Gibbs' protective feelings towards himself, but everything else had been pretty accurate so he was willing to give Dunn nine out of ten. Shooting the Federal Agent a quick grin, the NCIS agent said, "Do Ziva next."

"Like Gibbs, she's endured a lot of tragic experiences in her time. Unlike Gibbs, she's even less willing to trust people and as a result shuns friendships and relationships until she trusts the person in question, and even then she won't have faith in them completely. Her experience dictates that even close friends must not ever get close enough to her to hurt her, and as such she frequently puts up walls around herself. Those who manage to break down some of these walls get glimpses at the real her but she will rapidly re-establish those barriers for fear of being thought of as weak or vulnerable."

DiNozzo must have given him a look of amazement because Roland laughed and said, "Don't think I'm psychic Tony, I've cheated and seen bits of your files, so I'm drawing conclusions from them also."

Dunn seemed to have thought the conversation was at an end, and after several minutes of silence, DiNozzo had to ask, "What about me?"

Shooting the American a quizzical look, Dunn took a few seconds to realize what DiNozzo was talking about. "You, DiNozzo, are complicated. You put on a mask of stupidity, or arrogance, or laziness at times when you aren't. You're far more intelligent than you let on, you aren't an arrogant man and I'm willing to bet that when no one else is around to see it, you work like buggery. When people around you are in a bad mood, you act out to draw their temper towards you rather than let them attack anyone else. You probably dated a different woman each week once upon a time, but as we just drove past a bus full of flight attendants without a comment from you, you're probably looking for something more than a one-night stand now. And you've worked for Special Agent Gibbs longer than anyone else in the agency has, without complaint, which considering his hard to please nature and the fact that he rarely gives praise indicates you've got a stronger drive than anyone realizes. I'm willing to bet that while there's nothing in this file to indicate it, you've been offered promotions which you've turned down."

Tony mulled over that for a long few minutes whilst the car kept moving amidst the traffic. "Even if that stuff was right, and I'm not saying it is, you still haven't answered my real question – why lie for Ziva and I?"

"Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to put you guys in a nicer hotel?" Dunn asked.

DiNozzo chuckled for a second but said, "What's the real reason?"

Dunn stopped the car for another red light and said, "I'm willing to bet a man who makes his own rules like Gibbs has a rule about dating people you work with."

"Rule 12: Never date a co-worker." Tony answered, wondering where this was going.

"Right," Dunn sighed, "well a man like Gibbs will one day have to realize that his experiences can't pre-determine how the rest of his team live their lives. Eventually they'll have to make their own decisions. However my intention is to let you and Officer David keep your jobs long enough to convince him to change his mind."

"But Ziva and I aren't dating," DiNozzo said, confused.

"Tony. As we left the airport you didn't look at any of the numerous attractive girls in the terminal. You haven't flirted with the hotel staff or any of my female team members. For our entire car ride, you haven't checked out a single girl in the cars alongside us, or on the pavements. In fact the only woman I've seen you looking at has been Officer David. What do you think that suggests to me?" Dunn asked.

DiNozzo didn't like this, the man was a little too aware of how he felt, but after years of keeping his emotions hidden, he decided to answer truthfully. "It would suggest that I have feelings for my co-worker."

Dunn nodded, but Tony continued, "But she's done nothing to suggest that the feelings are mutual."

Roland gave Tony an incredulous look. "A Mossad assassin trusts you enough to fall asleep next to you, leaving herself completely vulnerable and you don't think that's indicative of something? She sits on your lap for the car ride to the hotel from the airport instead of taking a different car? She glances at you every time you're not looking at her DiNozzo and the biggest giveaway is her complete disinterest in me every time I try to flirt with her. She's got it bad for you mate, you just need to wake up to it."

For the rest of the car ride, Tony was silent.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_First up – thanks for all the support for the story you've given me so far. I do tend to critique my stories fairly heavily and as such end up rather unhappy with them even if they're ok._

_And whoa! Ease up kiddos. I'm not actually a LEO – I've worked with the Queensland Police (State Coppers) but didn't do any sworn police officer duties – mainly I did a bit of writing police reports and flagging vehicles and people with BOLOs. Right now I've actually left law enforcement to pursue a more stressful, but better paid job that's a bit more interesting (though writing homicide reports was pretty cool!), with the intention of going Federal in five years._

* * *

The meeting was staged in a theatre-like auditorium, hundreds of Australian police filled out the seats waiting expectantly for Dunn and DiNozzo to arrive. In typical DiNozzo fashion, it seemed he was running late, and Ziva started tapping her foot impatiently. Gibbs, sitting next to her, looked like he was already planning the words he was going to shout at the NCIS agent for holding up the meeting. Ziva went to ring DiNozzo on her cell phone but the building itself was shielded from reception and she couldn't get a signal. After a few more minutes, one of Dunn's men took the stand and declared that instead of waiting, they may as well start the briefing.

It became apparent that while no progress was being made with the video footage of the offender, Mossad and Australian Intelligence had made progress in leaps and bounds. They'd identified three persons of interest potentially involved in the bombings. Two were Australian citizens; something, which caused a sudden spate of dark mutterings by the Australians as they contemplated the betrayal by two of their countrymen, and the third, was a Hamas-turned-Al Qaeda terrorist. Ziva watched intently as they flashed the picture of the man up on screen but she didn't recognize him. It wasn't unusual, Hamas and Al Qaeda were continually recruiting new people to their cause and it was a struggle just to keep up, let alone keep track of everyone.

Ziva sighed as the meeting dragged on and wished Tony would turn up soon. She liked being able to rest her head on his shoulder; it was amazing how quickly it began to feel natural to her – to find an excuse to make physical contact with Tony. She liked to think that she was just mirroring his flirtatious nature, but the truth that she had found a deep connection with the American agent was getting harder to ignore.

* * *

Dunn had stopped beating the steering wheel pad with his hands in tune to the music on the radio and silence descended on the car. After a while, Tony began to notice that the Australian was continually checking his rear view mirror.

Seeing Tony start to look around, Dunn said warningly, "Don't. There's been a white Ford Explorer following us for the past few blocks. Looks to be five people in there. I'm not sure if it's anything, but this doesn't feel right. Keep your head low DiNozzo, this might turn ugly quickly."

Dunn, on reaching the next set of traffic lights, activated the red and blue lights on the car without using the siren and proceeded through the red lights, making a right turn at the next intersection. Switching the lights back off, he checked the rear view mirror and was satisfied as he saw the Ford Explorer drive past without making any attempt to follow the unmarked Australian police car.

Waiting a little while at the next intersection for the traffic to clear, Dunn turned left and suddenly everything went to hell. Both agents heard the sound of tires squealing and looked to the left in time to see the Explorer dodge in and out of moving traffic, heading directly for them at high speed. The man in the front passenger seat leaned out of the SUV and, clutching his hands around an Israeli-made Uzi machine gun, opened fire on Dunn and DiNozzo without mercy or warning.

DiNozzo was lucky. Dunn's reflexes had been automatic, as he saw the SUV emerge from the traffic, he was already shifting into reverse and accelerating, swinging the wheel around so that if rammed, the driver's side would take the brunt of the force, hopefully protecting his American charge in the passenger seat.

As it was, most of the gunfire ended up spraying the bitumen all around where the car had originally been, but a few stray bullets hit the cabin. Roland, who now sat between him and the gunman, protected DiNozzo but Tony saw Dunn convulse as a number of bullets slammed into the Australian agent.

Dunn's foot floored the accelerator and the car shot backwards in reverse, only to slam into one of the many other cars attempting to flee the gunfire. Staring at Dunn, DiNozzo saw the white SUV fill the driver's side window as the four wheel drive barreled down on the stuck vehicle and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

* * *

Mossad Officer Ziva David was bathed in a sea of flashing blue and red lights as the police car she was in screamed away from the conference building with her, Gibbs and McGee inside. A state policeman had interrupted the meeting by bursting into the room, breathlessly announcing that men had ambushed a Federal police car with automatic weapons and that they had lost contact with Agents Dunn and DiNozzo.

From there it had been a blur as the remainder of Dunn's men whisked the American agents into cars and drove at breakneck speeds through the traffic to arrive at the Brisbane headquarters for the Federal Police.

Gibbs was furious at the lack of information available, screaming that he wanted a sit-rep on the status of DiNozzo immediately, whilst McGee cowered in the corner of the interrogation room they had been placed in for their own security. Ziva was silent, sitting down with her head in her hands as she fought to control the tears that threatened to spill down onto her cheeks.

All of this was made worse by what could be heard crackling from the radios on the hips of their protective detail. Police at the scene were screaming over the airwaves requesting backup, whilst automatic rifle fire could be heard chattering in the background. None of the attending officers had been able to get a visual on either of the missing federal agents, despite many men and women braving the automatic gunfire and searching desperately.

McGee had received a phone call from a panic-stricken Abby, who was watching the news feed from ZNN. Try as he might to calm the forensic scientist, everyone in the room could hear her high-pitched shouting as she worried about Tony. McGee had to shut down his own emotions as he tried to calm the worried goth.

Gibbs was about ready to break; he knew the men and women of the Australian police services were doing their best, but DiNozzo was out there, amidst the chaos he could hear over the radios. The fatherly feelings he had for the American smart-ass agent were rapidly rising to the surface, and Gibbs had no intention of sitting around doing nothing whilst one of his team was fighting for his life.

Ziva only had one person running through her mind through all of it – DiNozzo. He had escaped death so many times; it seemed inevitable that it would finally catch up. She found herself praying for the first time in a long time that the forces watching over Tony would keep him safe and return him to her.

* * *

It seemed the forces were indeed watching over Tony, in the form of one very pissed off, bleeding Australian agent, who had shoved DiNozzo behind a nearby car and was crouched alongside him, trading fire determinedly with the assailants. The bulletproof vest worn by Dunn had protected him from all but two of the bullets, which had impacted along his upper left arm, leaving it hanging down uselessly. Their own car was upside down in the middle of the intersection, having rolled several times after the ramming. It had been a harrowing experience – crawling from their crushed vehicle and sprinting to nearby cover. Unfortunately, Dunn's earpiece radio cord had been severed by some of the broken glass, and they were unable to communicate with their backup.

But despite the chaotic situation, so determined was Tony to help his Australian counterpart, he regularly forgot that he was the intended target of the gunmen, and after his third run at standing up and returning fire, Dunn had reached over and cuffed Tony's hands to the door handle of the vehicle they sheltered behind, effectively ensuring that DiNozzo would sit out the rest of the gunfight in relative safety.

They could hear new noises in the gunfight as the Australian federal and state policemen and women joined the gunfight, adding their pistols to the sounds that echoed amongst the city buildings. Four times Dunn had stood up in an attempt to signal his position to his fellow officers but the gunfire had become more accurate and they were pinned down, and badly in need of ammunition. DiNozzo had used up his magazine, and Dunn was on his second and last magazine, with a single shot remaining.

Despite the rapidly growing presence of police, it seemed the gunmen were intent on killing the American agent. The terrorists themselves had suffered heavy losses – out of five of the original gunmen, only two remained. But these two had no intention of being killed before they finished their mission, and they carefully picked their way forward, taking shelter as they made their way steadily towards the two federal agents.

Roland had seen the two beginning to make their way forward, and was in the process of unlocking DiNozzo's handcuffs with the intention of retreating further when the two terrorists rounded the car. Startled, Dunn shot the first man before making what would no doubt be a suicidal dash towards the second, hoping against hope that he'd be able to tackle the terrorist before he got a shot off at DiNozzo.

It wasn't necessary. Even before the last gunman had a chance to raise his weapon, a number of gunshots echoed from behind him and his chest convulsed before he fell to the ground, revealing Ziva standing behind him, her weapon still smoking in her outstretched hand.

Gibbs stood alongside her, his weapon drawn also as he rushed towards Dunn and DiNozzo. First examining DiNozzo closely and sighing with relief when he saw he was uninjured, he then focused his eyes on the fact his agent was in fact, handcuffed to a car door.

Turning to face Dunn, he said, "Do I want to know why you've handcuffed DiNozzo to a car door?"

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

"_A dramatic shoot out in Brisbane City occurred late this afternoon when a number of armed gunmen opened fire on a police vehicle carrying investigators of the Fortitude Valley bombings. The unknown number of gunmen used automatic rifles in the attacks, during which one member of the Australian Federal Police was believed to have been shot twice. He remains in a stable condition. Police remained close-mouthed about the reasons behind the attacks, or those involved in the shoot out, however it is rumored that a senior investigator from a United States law enforcement agency, assisting with the Valley bombings inquiry was the target of the attacks. We'll continue to report further on the story, as it develops."_

The story from the news continued to play as on television in the reception asGibbs and the team filed into their hotel quietly, having just returned from the hospital Roland had been rushed to following the firefight. Though no one from the American investigative team had been injured, the mood was subdued as they came to realize just how close they came to losing Tony. As it was, Dunn was not likely to be returning to the investigation. The damage done to his left arm had been more significant than it seemed, and in a quiet aside Dunn had remarked to Gibbs that even if he recovered, he would likely be wrapped up in enough paperwork to keep him busy for several years. The Australian agent's superiors had been less than impressed to discover that their lead investigator had supplied a foreign law enforcement team with concealable weapons, and this had only been exacerbated by the fact that the weapons had been used to kill one of the suspects involved in the gunfight.

Despite Dunn's casual nonchalance when talking about his superior's reactions, Gibbs saw the worry in the young agent's eyes as he contemplated what could ultimately be the consequences of his actions. He was frustrated for the Australian in that Roland had played every card right, but had still lost overall. He had calculated correctly that it would be advantageous for the NCIS team to have weapons in the event self-defense was required, and ultimately it was but Dunn would still face the consequences of going against his agency's policies.

Gibbs resolved to himself that if Roland did end up the unfortunate result of narrow-minded government policy, he would do everything in his way to ensure that a position within NCIS opened up for him once he had recovered.

* * *

The American team sat quietly in Gibbs' room as they re-read all of the material their investigation had turned up.

Gibbs was getting steadily more agitated. The silence that had descended upon what he regarded his family was unnerving. DiNozzo, for once, had shut up and wasn't quipping movie quotes or flirting with Ziva. For her part, Ziva had avoided any form of communication or contact with Tony altogether since checking him from head to toe to make sure he hadn't been injured.

And McGee sat with a confused look on his face, staring from Tony to Ziva as his brain attempted to process why the usually flirtatious partners were now pointedly ignoring each other.

Gibbs was just about to scream when there was a knock at the door. Sliding his hand down his side only to remember that the Australian agent taking over the investigation, a particularly annoying man called Noland Casks had confiscated the American team's weapons, he sighed and carefully checked through the peephole before opening the door to reveal two uncomfortable looking Australian agents carrying several shopping bags.

Waving them in, he watched as the two deposited the bags on the table in front of his agents and carefully removed a number of tubs of ice cream and a box of cones. They then made to leave, and as the second agent passed by Gibbs, he passed him a large box before disappearing out the door with his partner.

As his team forgot about their previous bad mood and enthusiastically dug into the ice cream, Gibbs carefully tore off the tape surrounding the box.

Opening the box up, he found the Sig Sauers that Agent Casks had confiscated from his team. A note sat perched on one of the full magazines of ammunition.

Grabbing it, he read;

_A few days ago, I said once upon a time I was the same as DiNozzo._

_Part of that is still true, I can't resist a good opportunity to get myself into more trouble. Take care Gibbs,_

_Roland_

* * *

A/N:

I'm not dead. I'm just lazy.

Also - for those of you with brilliant memories, this replaces a previous chapter which contained so much sappiness that when I re-read it, I nearly threw up.


	13. Chapter 13

Yes! I'm still alive. Granted extremely slack. But alive nonetheless. Still suffering from the same writer's block as before. Here's a chapter I wrote trying to barge through it. Let me know if I can continue with it, or should I attempt to review this short monstrosity?

* * *

Gibbs rubbed his eyes as he examined the document placed in front of him during his breakfast. While he and his agents had slept the Australian authorities had worked tirelessly throughout the night. Communication between MI5, MI6, Mossad, the CIA and other intelligence organizations had yielded a number of successes.

Two of the people thought to have masterminded the attacks had been detained in Sydney's International Airport, just minutes before they would have boarded a flight eventually bound for a non-extradition country.

The Australian Federal Police had a further list of some four other people that may have assisted in the attacks along with the name of the third and last mastermind behind the attacks. Intelligence suggested they were still in the country and the last page of the report in front of Gibbs suggested the net was rapidly closing. Intelligence had tracked them to the northern suburbs of Melbourne and it was believed to be only a matter of time before all responsible were behind bars. Or dead. Gibbs would have preferred the latter.

* * *

As they were only assisting with the investigation; the NCIS agents were not able to interview the suspects but they had been invited to view the interrogations from behind the one-way glass. The two apprehended suspects had been flown to Brisbane and were being held at Queensland Police Headquarters.

On the way there, Gibbs asked their driver to make a brief stop.

Barging through the emergency room, Gibbs sought out the ward holding the injured Agent Roland Dunn. Obtaining his room number from the nurses' station, he opened the door only to find it empty. A hospital gown was folded on top of a neatly made bed.

Gibbs wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he had a brief moment of panic at the thought that the empty bed signified the Federal Agent had succumbed to his wounds. But as rational thinking once again resumed, he realized that the nurse at the desk would have informed him if that had eventuated.

Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed the agent's number. After only two rings it picked up, and Gibbs heard the painful wheeze in the man's voice as Roland said "Good Morning Gibbs."

"Why aren't you in hospital?" Gibbs demanded, skipping the niceties completely.

"I've had the stitches, and they've put the band-aids in the appropriate places. I don't need to lie around in bed longer than necessary. I've got work to do. That breakthrough we've had didn't come without our fair share of effort overnight. I've probably spent more money on phone bills in the last eight hours than DiNozzo spends on eyebrow waxing." Came the reply. Dunn was attempting to mask the pain in his voice but it was still evident.

Gibbs was attempting to ignore his irritation at the fact that it appeared his supply of DiNozzos was multiplying – now he had two agents who tried to work despite clearly being in agony. "Where are you?" He asked.

"At Headquarters, we're starting the interviews in fifteen. I'd suggest getting here Gibbs. You won't want to be late." And with that Roland ended the call abruptly, before Gibbs had any chance to respond.

And Gibbs had to admit that maybe there was just a little bit of himself in the Australian agent too.

* * *

Review it ya turkeys!


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